


Luck Be A Lady

by sartiebodyshots



Series: Bound By Symmetry [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: AU- Courier is a King, AU- Veronica is a Follower, F/F, Lesbian Courier, mild homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 18:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16455491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: Not long after the Three Card Monte game, August gets a message from Veronica inviting her to the Tops.  But not everything ends up going according to plan.





	Luck Be A Lady

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo

August is surprised when she actually hears from Veronica not too long after the three card monte game.  She had assumed that the idle bit of flirtation wouldn’t really lead anywhere, even with the kiss, but she receives an invitation to the Tops a few days later.

_ August- _

_ What do you say about being my lucky charm this weekend?  The Tops, 7pm, Friday? Let me know if you can’t make it. Otherwise… see you there! _

_ -Veronica _

August is surprised that Veronica has the means to make it onto the Strip.  It isn’t cheap. The only reason that she does is because the King gives fake passports to all his higher ups; he rarely has business on the Strip, but when he does, he doesn’t want any complications.  

With a thrill in the pit of her stomach, she gets ready for the night when Friday rolls around.  They don’t like letting Freeside gang members onto the Strip, but she still wears the traditional leather jacket.  She makes sure that all of her clothes are clean and in good repair, however. None of the scuffed leather for Veronica. 

If the shirt she wears underneath is tight enough to show off her abs and low cut enough to show off her chest, well, that’s that’s a happy coincidence.  

The securitrons on the Strip give her the virtual stink eye, but they let her pass unscathed, and she strides out onto the Strip with a grin.  

While August likes living in Freeside, there’s something about the bright lights and activity of the Strip that always tugs at something inside of her.  She wonders what it was like pre-war, when all the buildings were standing tall and bright.

There’s no time to gawk like a tourist, however.  She spent a bit too much time on her hair, and she doesn’t want Veronica to think she’s standing her up.  

The Chairman manning the door recognizes her and waves her through with a bit of a sneer.  They may not respect the Freeside gangs as a whole, but if you take care of enough problems for them, they’ll know you’re good people, at least.  

August almost doesn’t see Veronica at first.  Or rather, she doesn’t recognize her outside of her Follower’s outfit.  

Her hood is off, showing off her neatly cropped hair, and the pink dress she’s wearing is strapless, which shows off her muscled arms.  August didn’t realize that the Followers were that ripped under their lab coats. Dang.

After August takes a moment to collect herself, she approaches Veronica with an easy smile on her face.  She wants to make sure she enjoys this night, lest it not come around again.

“Hey, Veronica,” August says.  “Thank you for the invitation.”

“Of course!” Veronica says, grinning at her.  “I need my lucky charm if I’m going to win big.”

“I’ll just stand next to you and look pretty, then?” August asks.  

“Unless you want to play a game or two of blackjack?” Veronica says.

“You go ahead,” August says.  

August settles in beside Veronica, still not believing that she’s there.  Months of vague flirting suddenly bumped up to a kiss last week and an outing on the Strip.  They know how to move.

She keeps half of her attention on the game, though.  Counting cards isn’t a difficult trick, and after a few rounds, she leans in close to Veronica.  

“Bet high,” August whispers in her ear.  

The dealer gives her a suspicious look, so August drapes an arm around Veronica and presses her body close.  Playing the adoring companion isn’t that difficult a task, made even easier as Veronica leans against her and flashes her a wide smile.

August nuzzles her nose against Veronica’s cheek, catching a whiff of soap and desert sun on her skin.  She keeps her other eye on the cards, lets Veronica know when to keep her bets conservative and when to bet big.  

Veronica rests a hand on her hip, a bright zing against August’s skin, even through her jacket and other layers.  When she casually brushes a hand against August’s cheek, she almost loses her count. 

After Veronica has accumulated a healthy pile of chips, one of the Chairmen brings them a tray with a bottle of vodka resting on it.  He sets it beside them, nodding his compliments. 

Beside the bottle are two glasses, filled with some bright red drink.  Veronica picks up a glass, considering it for a moment. She takes a small sip, smiling up at August, and then holds out the glass to her lips.  

Heat rises on August’s cheeks as she leans slightly forward to take a sip.  The fruitiness and the vodkaness mix with that heat, intensifying it. That her body has been glued to Veronica’s for the last however long doesn’t help much.

“They’re trying to knock us off our game,” August murmurs into her ear.  

Veronica smiles again, brushing some imaginary stray hair off August’s face.  “Depends what game you’re playing.”

August doesn’t know if the game has to do with her or with something else altogether, but she finds she doesn’t mind.  She just keeps half an eye on Veronica and the rest of her attention on the cards.

They don’t play perfectly, of course, but they win an impressive amount.  August didn’t realize that Veronica was so good at blackjack, and with August’s card counting skills, it gives her a nice edge.  

They must reach some arbitrary goal because Veronica leans back and gathers up her chips.  August tries to hide her disappointment; she likes playing arm candy for Veronica.

“Hey, missy, why don’t you come settle over here with those nice…  _ chips _ ,” some dude at the next table says.  

“Now that we have the chips, how about we get a drink or two to talk once we exchange them for caps,” Veronica says, ignoring him.  

“Hey!  I was talking to you!” the dude insists, getting up.

“Let’s not make this night unpleasant, okay?” August says.

She slides between the man and Veronica, hand drifting towards her back where she’s hidden a hammer.  As much as she doesn’t want to beat a man on her… outing (date?) with Veronica, August goddamn will if she has to.  

“Get out of the way, dyke,” the man says, shoving her roughly.

August stumbles to the side, but before she can grab her hammer, Veronica steps forward.  She pops the douche in the face, his head snapping right back. 

He manages to get his own shot in, but the Chairmen pull him away before August can join the fight, so she turns her attention to Veronica.  

“Oh!  Shit!” August says.

Blood is dripping out of Veronica’s nose at an alarming rate, and August grabs the nearest napkin to help staunch the bleeding.  It takes a long minute to stop, but once they do, they quickly exchange the chips for caps and end up out on the Strip

Veronica’s ease has dissipated, and it’s not just the blood on her face.  The easy confidence of the night has disappeared, replaced with wild eyes that refuse to look at August.

“Are you going to, uh, look at me?” August asks as they near Freeside’s gates.  She’s not really ready for this night to be over. “Veronica?”

The other woman finally stops, and August guides her into an alley, to avoid the heavy foot traffic on the Strip and give them some privacy.  Veronica still won’t look at her, which is unfortunate. 

“Hey.  Talk to me,” August says softly, touching Veronica’s shoulder.  “I know that wasn’t  _ fun _ , but you certainly threw a punch like you’d been in a fight before.”

“It’s not that,” Veronica says.  “I wanted to, you know, be all cool and suave, like you always are outside the school.  Like all the Kings always are! Instead, I got blood all over my dress, and we basically got thrown out of the Tops.  That’s not cool.”

August frowns a little bit, slowly sliding her hand up to cup Veronica’s cheek to urge her to actually look at her.  

“You don’t have to impress me, Veronica.  I really, uh, like you! Don’t get me wrong, it was fun grifting the casino like that, but I really just wanted to spend time with you,” August says.  “You could invite me anywhere.”

Veronica actually makes eye contact with her, which is nice.  Her face is smeared with drying blood and her nose seems to be swelling up a bit.  

“Really?” Veronica asks.

August leans forward.  She moves slow, so Veronica can push her away if she wants to.  But Veronica doesn’t, so August kisses her. 

This isn’t, of course, the first time they’ve kissed.  Veronica kissed her to win at Three Card Monte, but that was an unexpected whirlwind.

This is careful and slow.  August doesn’t want to move fast and hurt Veronica’s nose, and the kiss tastes like copper and a sandstorm.  Her head is spinny, not just from the alcohol she was sipping earlier. 

“Let’s go back to my place.  I’ll get you some ice for your nose, and we can talk.  Spend some time together,” August says softly.

“That sounds… really nice.”

Veronica slips her hand into August’s, leading the way back to Freeside.  

“What did you need the money for, anyway?  You could’ve been cool and suave in some other way.” 

“Oh, Julie needs some caps for something or another to help clean up Freeside.  I’m not bad at blackjack, so I figured I’d give it a shot.”

“And she has you gamble to get it?  Doesn’t sound very Follower-y.”

The sweetest laughter August has ever heard, cut short by a snuff of pain.  “Nope. But I have the caps, so what can she do?”

August’s laughter joins hers as they cross back to their home.


End file.
